I can’t stress enough about the hidden problems I’ve uncovered as a first-time home buyer thanks to infrared cameras. Just earlier this year, I used one to detect these tiny cold spots in my living room ceiling — only to discover later that they were nail pops. But while I’ve found infrared cameras useful for many situations, like spotting foxes running through my backyard at night, their effectiveness at detecting heat signatures weaken over distance.
That’s until I came upon the Xinfrared One XH09 thermal camera because of its telephoto range. Similar to all the previous thermal cameras I’ve tested in the last few years, it attaches to my smartphone’s USB-C port and provides me with the ability to see heat signatures in such an incredibly small package.
Saving time and money
Most recently, I noticed my gutters weren’t draining properly during a heavy rain shower because there was barely any water exiting the drain spout. When I looked up to the gutter outlining my roof, I could see water splashing out of the gutter. On the next day, I pointed the Xinfrared One XH09 at the gutter only to realize a hotspot in one area of the gutter — but since I didn’t have a tall ladder to inspect it — I ended up using one of my drones. That’s when I found out there was a makeshift bird’s nest up there.
I wouldn’t have been able to make out the hotspot using my other previous thermal cameras for my phone, mainly because the roof is farther away and the hotspot was isolated to a very small section. But thanks to the extra telephoto range and focusing ability of the Xinfrared One XH09, those details were easily exposed.
Long range, accurate heat detection
The biggest advantage of this thermal camera is its 870 meter range, which calculates to over 2,854 feet. While I wasn’t that far away from my gutters on ground level, this telephoto range allows me to see more details and better heat signatures. By adjusting the focus ring around the lens, I can easily get crisp details of nearby and faraway objects. With my other thermal cameras, however, those faraway objects simply appear like fuzzy blobs — which is terrifying when you accidentally mistake a warm rock for a critter at night.
In another situation, I noticed a plane flying overhead and wanted to see if it could detect it. Impressively, I was able to see in the app the distinct heat signature of the plane against the sky’s cooler temperature. That's something I wouldn’t have been able to see at night with other thermal cameras because they’re not sensitive enough.
And since I live right by a nearby trail, I can see myself using this at night to make out those critters lurking in the dark — or perhaps the horseshoe crabs I’ve seen turned over and stranded near the water’s edge on the beach during the early spring. While I’ve been using it mostly for home improvement stuff, I can see how it could be a valuable tool for outdoor enthusiasts and commercial use.
I also appreciate its faster 50Hz high frame rate because it’s constantly refreshing for a smoother live view in the app, whereas slower refresh rates often have a delay. In other thermal cameras, the slower refresh rates often makes for a sluggish experience trying to make out heat signatures — especially when the scene has a mixture of temperature ranges.
Excellent details
Conversely, I find that the Xinfrared One XH09 still works incredibly well for indoor use because of its focus ring. Not only can I still use it to spot cold drafts around my home’s windows and doors, but it works incredibly to detect heat signatures and temperatures of objects very close. Just check out the selfie I took of myself above to see fine details like my eyelashes and eyebrows.
It’s also like having a macro infrared camera because I can get it as close as 4-inches from an object — much like how the Pixel 8 Pro’s built-in temperature sensor works. The main advantage of the Xinfrared One XH09 is that I can see those hotspots, whereas the Pixel 8 Pro can only measure temperature.
Combining the excellent details and its long range telephoto capture, the Xinfrared One XH09 offers a ton of utility whether you’re a homeowner or outdoor enthusiast. And since it relies only on the power it draws from my phone, I don’t have to worry about having to recharge it much like past infrared cameras I’ve tested. That’s one less worry for me.
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